Summer Work 2024

Overview

Alliance student representatives will be organized in groups to work collaboratively on a small set of assignments. We encourage you and your working group to engage perspectives from different parts of the world and share them with your fellow students (and us, of course). 

The mix of cultures and kind of work you are being asked to do require that you be respectful of the ideas of others; listen carefully to what others are saying; ask questions when you are uncertain of meaning; and have patience as you work toward a group response. This response need not be unanimous. There is tremendous tension around the globe – model the behavior you would like to see in national leaders.

Group members should be in regular communication with each other throughout the summer. You may use whatever platform that works for you and should hold at least one group video conference session, although we would suggest that you strive for a group video conference per assignment.

Your unique contribution to the Forum is your youth perspective on democracy, its advantages and challenges, and how its implementation (realization) in your home country, and in countries around the world, impacts people’s lives. Build on this strength!

The mix of cultures and kind of work you are being asked to do require that you be respectful of the ideas of others; listen carefully to what others are saying; ask questions when you are uncertain of meaning; and have patience as you work toward a group response. There is tremendous tension around the globe – model the behavior you would like to see in national leaders.

Working groups are not required to produce specific work before arrival in Athens, but group members should communicate with each other. A good starting point is to ask questions arising from the biographical statements, what interests you in participating in the Forum, what you hope to achieve at the Forum, and what you hope to do with that experience when you return to your campus. 

Reflection

Your beliefs, values, attitudes, and assumptions form the foundation of your understanding of yourself, others, and the world. Reflection on these involves revisiting your experience and considering how and why you think the way you do.  Certainly, part of this is emotional, and it is fine to express that as part of your reflection, but we want to push you to be analytical and interpretive. In analytical reflection, essential features that transcend details are highlighted and relationships among experiences are explained. Analytical reflection is extended through interpretation when you begin to probe the insights gained from your experience.

You will be asked to do a bit of reflection at three points during your “Forum work” guided by prompts we will provide. You might find it useful to talk through the prompts with a friend. We will not ask for written responses for the first two reflections, but we strongly encourage you to jot down your thoughts. You will be asked to submit a written reflection when you return to campus, and it is our hope that the notes you take as you reflect at each point will inform your final reflection (and give you better insights into your experience and how this experience evolved over time).

Reflection 1

What do I hope to get from this experience? What are my goals?

What concerns do I have about the summer work and my time in Athens?

What do I need to know or do to be best prepared for these experiences?

Assignment 0: First Contact!

Exchange email with your group – share your location so you can determine time zone differences, share why you want to participate in the Forum, what you hope to do with that experience, and schedule your video conference call for Assignments 1 & 2 (at least one call for each assignment). Here is a handy world clock meeting planner to help you schedule across time zones. Do not be shy! Do not wait for someone else in the group to initiate the exchange!! Be a leader!

Assignment 1

Students from previous years have asked “How do we even define democracy today? Do we have a perfect example to use as a guide?” It is a reasonable question. For your first group together, we ask you to review The Global State of Democracy Indices, which measure democratic trends across a broad range of attributes of democracy. There is data for 166 countries for 1975–2021. 

Please produce responses to the questions below that you will share in your group. You will not be asked to share anything written, but you should have notes and be able to share your thoughts, defend positions you take, and ask questions about responses from the others in your group. Be curious! As you consider your responses, think about connections with the Forum themes: food as a weapon; capitalism and autocracy; when threats are invisible; whether crypto democratizes finance; climate and mass exodus.

1.   Do these attributes of democracy look right to you? Are some more important than others?

2.   How do different segments (e.g., by age group, income level, education, gender) in your country view its form of governance?

3.   What is the state of democracy in your country? This can be your home country and/or the country in which you are studying.

4.   To what extent are youth in your country involved in democratic processes or decision-making in general? If youth should be more involved, how can that happen?

You are encouraged to do additional reading. We encourage you and your working group to engage perspectives from different parts of the world and share them with your fellow students (and us, of course). 

Working groups are not required to produce specific work before arrival in Athens, but group members should be in regular communication with each other throughout the summer. 

You can use a Facebook group, share documents via Google Drive, and should hold at least group one video conference session.

Assignment 2: Politics and Democracy Through Political Cartoons

You are to select two political cartoons to share and discuss within your group. The first should be from your home country and may be on any current topic. Keep in mind that you will have to provide enough background information for the others in your group to “get it”. The second cartoon must touch on one of the Forum themes. Be prepared to tell your group why you find the cartoon to be powerful. You can find a rich trove of political cartoons here, but you may get your cartoons anywhere.  Be sure to email your group your two cartoons ahead of your discussion.

Assignment 3: Think and Talk about the Forum Themes

New groups will be created based to discuss a set of prompts that will be provided at later. These conversations will be the basis for the work you do for Assignment 4.

Reflection 2

Is this working out as I expected?

What am I learning from this?

What could I do, say, or think to make the experience better?

Am I ready for my time in Athens?

Assignment 4: Forum Theme Video / Reflection Essay

You will create a “one-minute” video in response to the Forum theme you discussed in Assignment 3. Additional information on this assignment will be shared once Assignments 1 and 2 are complete. We need at least two videos for each of the sessions for which you will write a post-Forum report.

The reports for the 2022 Forum can be found on the ADF Reports page. Three of the videos from 2020 can be found here. Videos from 2021 and 2022 can be found on the Forum’s YouTube channel. 

Schedule of Deadlines

Below is your schedule of deadlines. If the group agrees, you can work ahead of schedule.

May 4 – May 16: Reflection 1

May 17, 20, 21: Orientation session (30 minutes). You attend just one of the sessions.

May 16 – June 4: First contact! Exchange email with your group – share you location so you can determine time zone differences, share why you want to participate in the Forum, what you hope to do with that experience, and schedule the videoconference calls – at least one each for Assignments 1 & 2. Do not be shy! Do not wait for someone else in the group to initiate the exchange!! Be a leader!

June 4 – 18: Complete Assignment 1 – Hold at least one videoconference call with your group members to share your responses for the four questions.

June 18 – July 1: Complete Assignment 2 – Hold at least one videoconference call with your group members to share and discuss your political cartoons.

June 26 – 30: Forum Theme Survey – A survey asking for your Forum theme preferences.

July 1: Announce groups for Assignments 3 and 4

July 2 – 23: Complete Assignment 3 ­– Hold at least one videoconference call with your group to discuss the prompts you will receive.

July 31 – August 5: Reflection 2

July 24 – August 26: Complete Assignment 4 – Interim deadlines for drafts of videos will be provided.

August 27: Videos due to Forum organizers

Post Forum Work

The Alliance student representatives will be organized in groups that will be responsible for the following reports (to be identified later).

Each student will be required to submit a report (3-4 pages) on the ADF experience following the completion of the ADF event to the ADF mentors and their home institutions. The report should include the following: